


Devilish Roommate

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Mistaken Identity, Unaccepting Families, Use of Violence to Express Emotion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-22
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-07-26 03:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7557886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke Malin is a troublemaker.  All semester, he's been pulling pranks on campus.  His roommate and childhood friend, Castiel, has been defending him all semester.  His doppleganger (at least from behind or a distance) Sam's been shoved around, hit, and yelled at by people who mistake him for Luke all semester.</p><p>At the end of the semester, Luke pulls a grand finale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Prank

**Author's Note:**

  * For [posingasme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/posingasme/gifts).



> Prompted by PosingAsMe: "I thought you were my friend who’s just done something awful to me (read: cut my hair while I slept, dyed all of my clothes pink, etc. etc.) because you look similar from behind so I stormed up to you and shoved you from behind while calling you an asshole", from a list of AU ideas from @nerds-are-cool on Tumblr.

Castiel was furious. Very furious. Today was his first day of finals, he did not need the additional stress of waking up to find that his roommate, who was supposed to be his best friend, had stolen all of his clothing. To be fair, Luke wasn’t expecting him to go out naked. He’d brought back one of Cas’s trench coats – dyed pink, with rainbows and cartoon ponies painted on in glitter paint. And he’d somehow acquired Castiel’s sister Anna’s dress from playing Tinkerbell in a play for her theatre class. Spring green, sequined, beaded, strapless, and extremely short.

It didn’t help that he’d woken up late and had to wear them to his first final. The staring was so hard to deal with. After class, a couple people had “thanked” him for distracting them so badly that they were sure they just failed the class.

So when he saw Luke standing in the quad flirting with some red-haired girl, he didn’t think twice. He went over and shoved Luke to the ground. “You fucking asshole. You think this is funny? I’ve been defending you all semester! Telling people that you’re not all bad! And this is how you repay me?”

The girl knelt beside Lucifer. “Oh my god. Sam, are you all right?” She looked up at Cas. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Look, I don’t know what he’s told you about himself, but that guy’s…” The guy sat up, rubbing his face with his hand. His handsome, bruised, completely unfamiliar face. “Oh. Oh god. I am so sorry. I thought you were someone else. You look just like him from behind. He even has that same coat.”

“Let me guess, you thought I was Luke Malin.” Sam got to his feet. “Happens a lot.”

“Sorry, Luke’s my… he was my best friend. Now he’s just an asshole. I am so, so sorry about your face. And any other injuries.” Castiel took a step backwards. “I should…”

“You should make this up to me. Do you have a final to get to?”

The girl jumped a little. “Sam, what are you doing? He just…”

“Oh! Sorry, this is Charlie. She’s an old friend.” His brow wrinkled. “Don’t think I caught your name.”

“Castiel Crowe. My parents were weird.”

“Okay then. In answer to your question, Charlie, I’m asking Castiel out. Just for coffee, no big deal.” He smiled, and oh god, were those dimples?

Charlie crossed her arms and gave Sam an unimpressed look. “Guy knocks you to the ground over a mistaken identity, and your response is to ask him out? What would Dean have to say about that?”

“Who’s Dean?”

Sam rolled his eyes. “My big brother. He’s a little overprotective sometimes. And I’m torn between him taking a swing at me himself in hopes of fixing the brain damage Castiel obviously inflicted on me or egging me on because it’s about damn time I got a date.” He looked back at Castiel, and his lips twitched. “Given what he’s wearing, Dean just might not have anything to say.”

“Blame Luke. This is Luke’s doing,” Castiel growled. “This is why you got knocked down to begin with.”

“For what it’s worth, you’re pulling it off well. Kind of gives you a badass I’m so confident in myself that I can wear whatever I want and you’re not going to say anything about it because I can and will bash your head in look.” Sam ducked his head. “So, um…”

“Yes. Let’s go get coffee. I hope you don’t mind being seen with me like this, but there’s not really much point to going home to change if Luke hasn’t brought anything else back. Possibly even if he has.” Castiel didn't even want to know what was coming next.


	2. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas buys Sam coffee and decides that there is something terrible wrong with Sam.

Charlie had a final, but she made sure Castiel knew that in her opinion he already deserved one ass-whooping before letting Sam take him off for coffee. Sam smiled apologetically at Cas. “I have no idea why, but everyone who loves me feels this weird need to be protective. I'm 6'4" and in good shape. Do I really put off the kind of vibe that says I need a protector?”

Castiel studied him and nodded. “A little, yes. It’s the way you hunch down, try to make yourself appear smaller. I’m sure your friends and family have even more reasons.” 

Sam definitely liked this guy. When he asked others, they always gave him some kind of BS answer about him making friends with protectors. Cas actually gave him a straightforward reason that made sense. Of course, the reason he'd started doing it is because Dean had been so upset when Sam got close to his size that he'd tried to keep up the illusion of being the little brother as long as he could, and by the time it was hopeless, it had just become habit. “They’ve also seen me fight. I’m no gentle giant, Castiel. I can take care of myself. If I think someone needs their ass kicked, I’ll handle it. And I’m not bragging here, but I’ll win most of those fights. Only person who’s ever beaten me is my big brother.”

Castiel shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it. If you’d come up swinging like a normal person instead of giving me a chance to explain and apologize, I could believe you’d beat me. And I’m not a bad fighter myself.”

“Obviously. That was one heck of a shove.” Sam led the way into the coffee shop. “You go first. My coffees tend to be… complicated.”

“But I’m paying, so you order first. Mine is very simple and almost impossible to mess up.”

“Your funeral.” Sam stepped up to the counter and rattled off a complicated order. The barista had trouble believing that all Castiel wanted was a nice, plain coffee. Sam knew this part, too, from going to coffee shops with Dean. He'd started doing the complicated coffee orders to piss off his dad, while Dean suffered through black coffees he didn't particularly like because he wanted to be like his hero. Over time, they'd both come to like their coffees for real, but they definitely got strange looks when they ordered together.

Sam found the table and waited for Cas to deliver the coffees. “Well. Obviously this relationship is not going to work out. Our coffees are just too different.”

“I don’t know. I’m betting I could take the coffee out of yours and you wouldn’t even notice, it’s so drowned in all the other stuff.” Cas handed him his coffee and took a seat. “I have my coffee supplies, you have yours, and we’re both happy.”

Sam laughed. “I’d notice. Maybe not in taste, but when the caffeine withdrawal kicked in. So Luke’s your roommate?”

“We grew up together. He and his brothers lived next door to me and my siblings, our parents were close, and we were basically raised as one large family. Luke was always a bit of a bully, but he never did anything to family, or anything as severe as what he does here. When we went to college together, it seemed logical to be dorm roommates. I guess without his dad to keep him in line, he’s become more brutal, more truly mean instead of just thoughtless. I’m sorry that you look so much like him from behind.”

Sam smiled. “Oh, I dunno. There are some good sides. Like meeting you.”

Cas stared at him. “All you know about me is that I can knock you down when I have surprise on my side and I drink boring coffee. And that I’m Luke’s roommate. Two of those should be bad things. Charlie’s right. You are insane.”

“Well, there’s also the fact that you are incredibly hot in what should be a completely ridiculous coat. Dare I ask what’s underneath it?” There were all kinds of possibilities swirling through Sam’s head.

“Not much. I’ll show you, but not here. Not where people can think I’m a creepy flasher.” Castiel tilted his head. “I can just see the news report. Because clearly I’m a creepy flasher targeting young girls who are drawn to pink and rainbows. I’m going to kill Luke.” He picked up his coffee, and Sam followed.


	3. Meet Luke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel takes Sam back to his dorm, where they discover the new contents of Castiel's closet and run into Luke.

“Don’t tell Charlie or Dean that you were here.” Castiel opened the door to his room. Luke was not in there, thankfully. The difference between the two was obvious. Castiel’s side of the room was orderly, simple, and functional. Luke’s side was a riot of posters, art, bright colors, and clutter. Castiel went to his closet and opened it. “Wow. Thanks, Luke.”

Sam looked over, curious. What he found was not at all what he’d expected. He’d been expecting glitter, or an actual horse costume, or something. Instead… “What the hell? That’s my shirt. I recognize the scorch marks.”

“Okay, that’s not creepy at all.” Castiel grabbed the shirt and held it out to Sam. “Why do you recognize your shirt by scorch marks?”

Sam took the shirt and touched the scorched sleeve. “Dean and I got into a lot of trouble over this one. After graduation, we drove out to the middle of nowhere and had this bonfire that we dumped all my old school work in. We’d done it when he got his GED, but a poster I’d done for my government class went up a little faster than I’d expected and my shirt caught on fire. We were able to get it off and the flames out before I got hurt too bad or the shirt was beyond saving.”

“That’s lucky.” Castiel closed his closet. “Okay. Remember Luke picked the outfit.” He undid the trench coat.

Sam badly wanted to make some kind of smart remark, but it was a little hard with his tongue frozen and his mouth hanging open. He could understand why Castiel hated it so much. If someone had somehow made Sam wear it, he’d probably burst into flames from the sheer embarrassment. But damn. No wonder he’d taken him out.

Castiel closed the trenchcoat. “Horrible, right? It’s my sister’s.”

“Luke may hate you, but I think he may be trying to kill me. Holy shit, dude. You are incredibly hot.” Castiel looked startled, and Sam felt himself growing warm. “Um. Sorry. That was…”

Sam was saved from having to try to explain when Luke walked in whistling. “Hiya, Cassie! New coat?”

“You. Fucking. Asshole.” Cas took a swing at Luke, dropping him onto Luke’s bed. “I’ve done everything for you. Since we got here, I’ve been defending you at the cost of my own ability to make friends. And this is what I get in return?”

“Whoa, Cassie, what makes you think it was me? You really think I’d do that to you?” Luke’s eyes were wide, hands up in submission. “I’ve made some enemies, and like you said, you’ve been defending me. Maybe someone decided to get revenge?”

“No, Luke. It had to be you. You’re the only one who could have gotten Anna’s dress.” Castiel raised a fist. “What did you do with everything else? I know you didn’t destroy it, because then you’d have to explain to our fathers why I arrive for Christmas dressed like this.”

Luke cracked up. “Man, I can just see the look on your dad’s face… he’s already scared you’re gay, if you showed up in that coat…”

“I’m going down to the office. I expect my clothing to be returned, and anyone else you may have stolen things from to receive their belongings back, by the time I return.” Cas left, and Sam barely made it out before Cas slammed the door.

“Do you think he’ll do it?”

Castiel shook his head. “He’s an asshole. I don’t know how or why it took me this long to see it.”

“He was your friend. It takes a lot longer to see the bad things about your friends when they go off the rails.” Sam held out his shirt. “Keep it till tomorrow, just in case. You might need it.”

Castiel took it, and a smile started peeking through the stormclouds on his face. “And even if I don’t, it gives me an excuse to find you to return it?”

“Who says you need an excuse to find me? Do you have your phone?” Cas reached into a pocket and produced it. Sam typed his number into the contacts. “There. Should be easier to find me now.”

Cas took his phone back and stared at it. “Did you mean it when you said I was hot?”

Sam ducked his head, hiding behind his hair to answer. “I wasn’t exactly in full control of my mouth. I didn’t mean to say it out loud, at least not that bluntly, but it’s really hard to lie when you’re brain’s shut off like that.”

“Oh. Okay then.”

Sam’s watch beeped. “Oh, crap. I have to get to a final. Call me later, let me know what happens with Luke?” Cas nodded, and Sam left.


	4. Cerebus Syndrome Strikes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas calls Anna and Sam. Not at the same time.

By that evening, Cas hadn’t seen Luke again. However, his closet once again seemed to miraculously sprout new clothes. If you interpreted the term loosely enough, anyway. He didn’t even want to know where Luke had gotten the frilly black tutu.

Cas called Anna. Anna was his big sister and the only person who Cas trusted for advice here. And even that depended. “Did Luke steal your dress, or did you give it to him?”

“Why would Luke want a dress? What dress?” Anna’s confusion sounded genuine. That answered that question, then.

“Luke’s pranking me by stealing my clothes and giving me outfits meant to humiliate me or get me in trouble. I know for sure the shirt I’m meant to wear tomorrow was stolen. I’m currently wearing your Tinkerbell dress.”

Anna giggled a little, but sobered up quickly. “Oh my god, has Luke lost his mind?”

“I don’t know. The other kids around here have started calling him Lucifer. They have a point. He was never nice, but he’s become downright cruel out here. I told him that I knew my clothes were mostly all right because otherwise when I come home for Christmas Dad just might kick me right back out, but the truth is… I’m not sure he cares.” If Luke had done this to anyone else, Cas knew he wouldn't have cared. He'd been sure that Luke wouldn't do that to him, but then again, he'd been sure Luke wouldn't prank him like this, either.

“Luke cares. I’m sure of it. You two have been like brothers since…”

“You’re not out here, Anna. You haven’t seen him since August. He's changed. I just didn't want to see it until he forced me to.” Castiel sighed. Time for the trickier part. “I don’t know if Luke’s lost his mind or just stopped caring about pretending to be better than he is, but I think I might be losing mine.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

“There’s a kid here who looks quite a bit like Luke from behind – same height, same general build, similar clothes, similar hairstyle. Faces are completely different, but he’s been getting mistaken for Luke a lot. I met him today when I knocked him to the ground thinking he was Luke.”

“Ouch. How bad is someone hurt?”

“As far as I know, Sam wasn’t hurt at all, and he never retaliated. He asked me out for coffee. He thinks I’m hot. In a creepy pedophile flasher trench coat and Tinkerbell dress.”

“And that’s got what to do with you losing your mind?”

“Well he’s obviously out of his, but… I still want to see him again.” He hadn't expected this when he left for college. He'd planned to do pretty much what he'd done all quarter: keep his head down, avoid looking at boys, avoid getting attached. He couldn't have a boyfriend. His father would disown him. Which, once Castiel was out of school and earning his own way, maybe he could handle, but not now.

“Someone’s got to be out of their mind to find you hot?” If Anna could have reached through the phone, Castiel knew she'd be smacking him now.

“He has a crush on me because I knocked him to the ground! Who does that?”

“If you were the size of Luke, wouldn’t you be just the tiniest bit impressed when someone your size took you out?”

“Impressed, maybe, but I wouldn’t ask them out!”

“So what is it you like about him? Aside from him thinking you’re hot?”

“He’s got a good sense of humor, he’s a total cutie, and… oh, god, I’m turning into one of them.”

“One of what?”

“He says that his family and friends all have a strong protective streak, and I just realized that I want to protect him from the people who mistake him for Luke. Anna, he is this giant adorable puppy and he’s good at rolling with being kicked but he shouldn’t get kicked in the first place, you know?”

“Do you have his phone number?”

“Yes.”

“Call him. I am going to hang up, and you are going to call him. Okay? Love you, Castiel. Call him!”

Castiel stared at the phone in his hand. Anna had actually hung up. He was very confused. Calling Anna was supposed to fix his confusion, not add to it. Maybe he should call Sam. At least he expected Sam to confuse him.

“Hello?” Sam’s voice was guarded, but hopeful.

“Sam? It’s Castiel.”

“Hey! I was hoping you’d call, but wasn’t sure you would. Did Luke surprise you?”

“Only in the sense of I have no idea where he even got it. I will be wearing your shirt tomorrow, by the way. Sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’re not the asshole who stole my shirt. Dean was not happy to hear about that, by the way. I gave him Luke’s name and description, and he’s promised to beat the crap out of Luke when he comes to get me for Christmas. You want me to try to stop him, or give you a time and place so we can share a bucket of popcorn and enjoy the show?”

Castiel stared at his phone in shock. “You enjoy watching people get hurt?”

“Only when they’re either doing it voluntarily, like boxers or MMA fighters, or they deserve it, like Luke.”

“I meant your brother! Luke’s going to kill him!”

“I seriously doubt that. Dean’s better than me, and I’m pretty sure I could take Luke.” Sam sighed. “If you’re seriously worried, I’ll tell Dean to leave it. He won’t be happy about it, but he will let it go.”

“I’ll let you know later. What’s your schedule look like tomorrow?”

“One test, morning. What about you?”

“Nothing tomorrow. Two on Friday, though. Would you like to meet up for lunch tomorrow?”

“Absolutely! Just tell me where.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head, Luke is basically Mark Pellegrino's face with Jared Padalecki's hair and body.


	5. Family Dysfunction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam meets Cas for lunch and family discussion.

Castiel was not hard to spot at the cafeteria. There were a lot of people staring at the man in a flannel shirt far too big for him and tutu. Sam drew his own stares when he took his salad and sandwich and went to sit at the same table. “Hey. I know you probably disagree, but you look awesome.”

“I look like a weirdo.” But Cas cracked a smile afterwards. “Okay, I am a weirdo. I just don’t usually look quite as obviously one.”

“No luck getting Luke to give you back your stuff? I know he’s an old friend, but have you tried reporting your clothes stolen?” Not that Sam would have, even if he’d noticed the missing shirt before it turned up in Cas’s closet. But then, Cas hadn’t grown up raised to think of the police as the enemy, most likely.

“If they’re not back tomorrow, I probably will. I don’t expect it to do any good… boys will be boys and all.” Cas took a bite of his hamburger. “How’d your final go?”

“Not bad, but I could have done better. Realized as soon as I turned it in that I’d confused some vocabulary. At least the TA who grades it should get a laugh?” Spanish was never going to be Sam's strong suit, but he figured it was a useful skill for just about any profession. Even if he did end up deciding to join Dean instead of following a dream of his own.

“Oof. Sorry. You going home for Christmas?”

Speaking of Dean. “Don’t really have a home to go to. When I left to go to college, my dad told me not to come back. Dunno what his deal was, he and I fought all the time, so I’d have thought he’d be just as glad to hear I was leaving. The only thing I regret about my choice to leave is that my brother decided to trash his much better relationship with Dad to follow me. He’s not in school, he’s doing the drifter thing for now, but he’s cut off contact with Dad. He’s gonna come get me and I’m gonna ride with him for the break. So I guess maybe I am going home, because my brother and his car is about all the home I’ve ever really had.”

Cas winced. “And I thought my relationship with my dad was tense. Sorry to hear that.”

That reminded Sam. “Luke said something about your dad being scared you’re gay… I take it he wouldn’t be particularly accepting?”

“My parents met in seminary and dropped out to get married instead of taking their orders as a priest and nun. Now Mom teaches in a Catholic school and Dad’s one of the most reliable volunteers at our church. No, I don’t think they’d be particularly accepting of a gay son.”

“Ouch. Yeah. Can definitely see that.”

Castiel ate a few fries. “Sam? How did you know I’m gay?”

“You told me, just now." Castiel looked skeptical, for some reason. Sam hadn't known. "I mean, I was hoping, but… I take it you’re not out?”

“No. Only you and my sister know. Luke doesn’t even know.” Castiel dragged a fry through ketchup. “You came without knowing I’m…”

“Well, yeah. I’ve never really had friends, not until I came here, so when I meet someone I think could be a good friend, I’m not going to let a crush stop me from trying for a friendship. If it becomes more, great, that’s awesome, but if it doesn’t… unless knowing that I’m crushing on you makes you too uncomfortable I don’t see any reason we can’t be friends.”

“Your friends aren’t going to try to protect you from me?”

“As a friend? No.”

“As a… a boyfriend?”

Sam couldn't help the hopeful smile. “Dean will probably do the if you hurt him I’ll kill you thing, but ignore him. He'd never actually hurt someone I cared about. Charlie and Jess and Brady… well, Charlie would probably try to talk me out of it, because she was there when we met, but Jess and Brady would be all for it. They’ve been trying to get me laid since we became friends.” Sam set down his fork and leaned forward. “Look. I am not going to try to pressure you into doing anything you’re not comfortable with. If that means we become friends, that’s fine. If you want to try for more, that’s fine too. And you have the right to change your mind whenever you want. I won’t tell anyone without your permission, but I should tell you right now, I can’t lie to my brother. I try all the time, and he always sees right through me.”

Castiel finally ate the now overly-ketchuped fry. “Well, your brother likely doesn’t know my family, so there’s not a problem there. I’m not planning some grand announcement or anything. If people find out I’m gay because they see me holding hands with my boyfriend, I don’t care. I… might not ever introduce you to my family, though. Except Anna. She knows and she’s very supportive.”

“Good to know you at least have that much.”

“I could practically hear her unspoken ‘you idiot’ when she told me to call you last night.” Castiel reached across the table and took Sam’s hand. “If you think you can deal with me not telling my family, then I would love to get threatened by your brother.”

“Now who’s the one who’s obviously lost his mind?” Sam squeezed his hand. "Glad to hear it, though."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cas's parents' "how we met" story is based on my RL uncle and his wife. None of their kids have come out as gay, but one's apparently Baptist now and they still love her, so... maybe?


	6. Luke Is Pure Evil

Friday it was a tuxedo. That one, Castiel actually kind of liked. People looked at him funny, but Cas had never minded being overdressed. Saturday, Superman. That was weird but fun. Sam loved it. Sunday brought a robe. Castiel decided against wearing the wig and beard in the closet. Luke knew he was religious, and he refused to walk into a church dressed that blatantly as Jesus. Monday, Cas opened his closet to find the clown suit. He rolled his eyes. It even had shoes. Oh, why not.

He didn’t have a final that day, but Sam did, so he met Sam for lunch. Or tried to. He could tell Sam was nervous from the time he sat down. “Is something wrong?”

“N-no. I’m fine.” Sam took a bite of salad.

“You’re lying. What is it?”

Sam sighed. “You’re going to make fun of me. Everyone does when they first find out. Don’t hold back, just get it over with. I’m afraid of clowns. Like, terrified of them.”

“Right, I think I owe Luke another punching.” Castiel reached out to take Sam’s hand, but drew back. “Sorry. Um. I’d go change, but…”

“I know. I’ll just…” Sam took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself, and smiled. “At least you don’t have the makeup. That’s the part that really freaks me out. I’m done with finals, though. So that’s good?”

That was good, except for the part where it meant he wasn't going to see Sam for several weeks. He wasn't sure whether it was safe to call or text. “When’s Dean coming to get you?”

“Tomorrow. When are you leaving?”

“Late tomorrow night. I have a final tomorrow morning, and Luke has one tomorrow afternoon, and then the two of us are driving home together. Won’t that be a fun car ride.”

“Your car or his?”

“Mine. I saved up errand and odd job money for two years and my parents matched my funds so I could buy it for my sixteenth birthday. It’s kind of crappy, but I love it.”

“Sounds like Dean and his car, although in his case, Dad gave it to him for his eighteenth. And bought himself a new truck. Dean’s car’s been in the family since before there was a family to be in. I think Dad bought it back in the 70s.”

“And it still runs?”

“Dad was a mechanic back when he had a normal job, Dean learned everything he needed to know to keep up with her. And we’ve got a friend who runs a salvage yard, who stocks up on Impala parts just for us.”

“Did you get a car?”

“Nah. I don’t need one here, and two cars was almost too much hassle to be worth it except for having an easy way to separate me and Dad when the fighting started. Whether I get my own car depends on what I do after this. Dean wants me to join him on the road, I kind of want to do law school, but we’ve got a few years until I need to figure it all out. You know?”

“At least you have an idea what you’re doing after undergrad. I don’t. Mom and Dad want me to go to seminary, but I really don’t want to. And not just because of the gay thing.”

“Well, you’ve got a few years to figure it out. You wanna come meet Dean tomorrow?”

Did he? Dean was basically Sam’s entire family, and they’d been dating for less than a week. But his next chance may well not be until March, or even June. “That will depend a great deal on what Luke does to me tomorrow. Does he have any phobias I should be aware of? Meeting you while dressed like this would not have gone well.”

Finally, Sam cracked a real grin. “No. No, it would not. Don’t worry, though, the only thing that scares Dean is Yorkies.” Cas didn’t have time to react before Sam was laughing. “Don’t tell him I said that. He was walking down a dark street by himself after watching this scary movie, and heard this growling behind him. It was hilarious watching him run from the Yorkie.”

Cas joined the laughter. Given what he’d heard about Dean, the image of him running from a fluffy little dog was hilarious. “If Lucifer makes me wear a Yorkie costume, I will text you to let you know I’m not coming to meet Dean. Otherwise… I’ll be there.”


	7. Meet Dean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel meets Dean. Dean is scary.

It wasn’t a Yorkie costume, but Castiel felt rather silly going to meet Sam’s brother while dressed like an angel. He’d meant to ditch the halo, but completely forgot about it when Sam texted him to say Dean was there in the bout of nerves that hit him.

Sam couldn’t quite hide the laughter, but he got it under control quickly. He came over to give Cas a hug and a quick kiss before turning back. “Dean, this is Castiel. Remember the outfit is not his fault, it’s his asshole roommate.”

“My brother says you’re his new boyfriend. That true?” Despite being shorter than Sam, Dean was way more intimidating. Sam was still growing into his height, and in the meantime, looked a bit awkward. Dean was not awkward. Dean was menacing. Castiel could suddenly believe that Dean could, quite possibly, kick Luke’s ass.

Which left him scrambling a bit to answer the question. The first bit was easy. It was what to say afterwards that had Cas’s brain in panic mode. “Yes, sir. Sam is… very important to me.” That was terrible. There were a million better things that he could have gone with.

Dean crossed his arms and moved to stand just a little in front of Sam. “Don’t know if Sam’s told you, but I’m basically all the family he’s got. Which means I am extremely protective of my little brother. So sell me. Why are you good enough for him?”

“Sam did warn me about your protectiveness. And Charlie’s, and Jess’s, and Brady’s, and several others I’ve yet to meet because they’re friends out there.” Of all the things he’d been preparing for when meeting Dean, this was not one of them. He had not expected outright hostility from his boyfriend’s brother. Which meant he didn’t have a rehearsed answer. “I’m not good enough for Sam. Ignore the costume – I’m no angel. I’m human, I’ll make mistakes, and I will probably hurt your brother at some point even though I would rather hurt myself. But that’s not what’s important. What’s important is that, for whatever reason, your brother sees something in me that he wants. And as it’s his heart on the line, he gets to be the one to make that call. I’m very protective of Sam myself. And I will fight you if you try to deny him the right to make his own decisions, no matter how stupid they are.”

Dean raised an eyebrow, glancing quickly at Sam. What that meant, Cas had no idea. “You will, huh?”

“Unless Sam asks me not to. I’m not afraid of you.” Dean gave him a skeptical look, and Castiel momentarily wavered. A quick glance at Sam helped him through it. “Actually, I take that back. I am scared of you. You’re scary. But not scary enough to keep me from standing up for my boyfriend.”

Dean nodded. Once again, Castiel was left clueless about what that meant. “So I hear there’s some kid I need to beat up for getting Sammy hurt a million times this semester. Any idea where I can find him?”

Sam stepped forward and pulled Dean back. “Oh my god. Dean. That’s enough.” He turned to Cas. “I’m sorry about him. He’s…”

“His name’s Luke, he’s my roommate, and while I would normally not mind you kicking the shit out of him, I have to drive home with him tonight and he’s just starting his last final anyway. So unless you’re really willing to hang around here for three hours, you might want to see if you can catch him when you bring Sam back for the winter quarter.”

Sam facepalmed. “Cas, stop encouraging him! I thought you didn’t want Dean to fight Luke anyway.”

“That was before yesterday. I don’t know how Luke knew, but I’m sure he did. Somehow.” But Castiel reined himself in, calmed down. “Dean, I know you care about Sam a great deal. I just hope that you can accept that I do, too.”

“I can see that.” Dean held out a hand, which Castiel shook. “Listen, Sam said your family’s not necessarily the best… if something happens, if Luke messes up and you don’t feel safe there, you have Sam’s phone number and I’ll get yours from him to text you mine. You need a way out, get a message to us and we’ll be there to bust you out as soon as we can.”

Cas was very confused now. “You will?”

Dean grinned. “Yeah. We’ll try to get your car, Sammy said that the look on your face when you were talking about it was the same one I get when I talk about my baby, but if we can’t… we’re still there for you.”

“But…”

Dean clapped a hand to Cas's shoulder, causing the halo to vibrate a little as his thumb clipped the wire holding it up. He chuckled a little. “Sam’s last boyfriend started giving me a resume and what he planned to do with his future. Nothing in there about Sammy. He wasn’t even planning on going to college with Sam. Never liked that kid. There’s only one right answer to why someone’s good enough for my little brother, and you got it. Because Sam says so. The fact that you’re willing to stand up for him is a good bonus, too. Now, obligatory protective big brother thing, you hurt Sam I will hurt you, but other than that you get the benefit of a protective big brother now. And believe me, if Sam screws this up, I’ll make him pay too.”

“Um. Okay.”

“We should get going, but it was nice to meet you, Cas.” Dean went for the car.

“Sorry about him. Again.” Sam wrapped his arms around Castiel. “But he wouldn’t have offered to come get you if he didn’t really like you. You’ve got nothing to be scared of from him.”


	8. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel goes home. Or tries to.

Castiel didn’t want to get his hopes up, and sure enough, when it was time to go, Luke hadn’t snuck anything else into their room. Luke stood in the doorway with a smirk. “Don’t worry, you’re all packed for the holidays, I already loaded up the car. Shall we?”

Castiel headed for the car. Once they were settled in, Castiel glanced over at his friend. “Luke, why are you doing this? I’ve put up with it, pretty well I think, but going home dressed like this could actually get me hurt. We’ve been like brothers all our lives. Do you really not care?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, that's not true at all. Wearing your new rainbow flag trench coat, that might get you hurt. Showing up dressed like the angel they think you are? You’ll be fine. Heck, we’re gonna get there after midnight, they’ll probably be so tired they don’t even notice what you’re wearing now that you’ve ditched the halo.”

Luke actually had a point there. His parents were normally the type to be in bed by 10. Staying up until he arrived was their way of showing that they cared, not that it didn't make Cas feel like he was still in high school, but they meant well. They would be tired, though. “That still doesn’t tell me why.”

“No, it doesn’t, does it?” Luke cranked up the music and turned to stare out the window.

 

It was nearly 1 am when Castiel turned into the driveway. Luke got out and grabbed his bags to head across the yard to his house. Castiel was still gathering his when Anna came flying out of the house. “Cas, they know. I’m not saying Luke, but someone sent them pictures of you kissing some guy. Sam, I assume. Like, ten minutes ago.”

“Luke. He said he’d text and let them know we were almost here. I’m going to kill him.” Castiel's grip tightened on the strap of his backpack as he tried to decide whether to run after Luke or go inside and... deal with things, whatever was coming.

“You might want to get out of here. They’re still kind of in shock. But Dad was getting his rant face on, so…”

“Thanks for the warning.” Cas hugged Anna and dropped his bags back in the trunk. “I love you, Anna. Do you want to come with me? You’re going to get in trouble for warning me…”

Anna ruffled Cas's hair. “That’s what big sisters are for. Get out of here. Is there anything you want me to tell Rachel when she wakes up to find her big brother’s not home?”

“Tell her I love her and I hope to see her again soon.” Cas got in the car. He rolled down the window to add something. “Tell Mom and Dad the same thing.” He backed out and took off. Before long, he realized he had no idea where to go now. He could, theoretically, go back to his room, but his parents would find him there too easily. He pulled off at a gas station – he needed gas anyway – and called Sam.

“Cas? Hey. Didn’t expect to hear from you!” Sam’s voice lost its cheer quickly. “What happened?”

“Luke sent them pictures. Of us. Anna warned me before I went in, so I’m out of there, but I don’t have anywhere safe to go.” Cas leaned against the car as it really sank in that he'd just run away from his family. Maybe by spring break things would be different, maybe not.

“Yes you do. Go to your dorm, Dean and I will come get you. Luke can’t have a picture of Dean’s car, not without a lot of research, so they won’t look for us.” Cas could hear doors slamming and the roar of an engine coming to life. “We’re not that far. May even be there before you, the way Dean drives.” There was a pause. “Dean says that his offer to kick asses stands, if they catch you before we get there.”

“I’ll be okay. I don’t… I don’t think they’re going to come after me tonight, anyway. It’s late. See you soon, I hope.”

 

Given their several-hour head start, Cas expected to be waiting for a while before Sam and Dean came for him. He’d just barely shut off his car when he heard the Impala rolling in. Sam jumped out of the car and came to hug him while Dean got the trunk open. “Nice car. Not my taste, but I can see the love. She gonna be okay?” Dean asked.

“Yeah. She’ll be safe, here, my parents wouldn’t hurt her to get at me. I have no idea what I’ve got in the bags, Luke packed them, but it’s got to be better than nothing.” Cas grabbed them and found a place for them in the Impala’s trunk. “Thank you for this. I just… I couldn’t face them. Not tonight. Not after the week I’ve had.”

Dean nodded. “Well, if anything changes, we’ll take you by. Otherwise, I’ll drop you off here when I bring Sam back. Sound good?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.” Cas got into the backseat of the Impala. It wasn’t long until he fell asleep.


	9. Christmas Call

When he had the chance to look, Castiel was surprised to discover that his normal clothes were in his bag. Some of them, anyway. Luke had packed everything he'd need over Christmas and a note saying the rest of his clothes were in his dorm closet, unharmed. Sam looked a little surprised to see him in jeans and a long-sleeved black T-shirt. “You look surprisingly normal. Luke caved, I take it?”

“Or was done anyway, now that he’s driven me away from my family. I still can’t believe he did that.”

Sam hugged him. “Hey. Maybe they’ll come around. Don’t give up hope entirely.” Castiel tried to believe that, but it was a lot harder for him. He knew his father's stubbornness and his mother's piousness. They were not going to change their minds any time soon.

Cas found a subject change rather than voice his skepticism, though. "Where are we going for Christmas? Do you two even celebrate it?"

"Yeah, sort of. Me and Sammy have always tried to do something, when we could. This year, I was thinking we'd head to Minnesota. Friend of ours there is kinda big on Christmas spirit, and I already called and asked if he'd mind if we came by." Dean closed the trunk. "Sound good?"

"Works for me. Cas, Jim Murphy's a great guy, you'll love him. I swear. He's a Lutheran pastor, but he knows I'm gay, and he's still a good friend. I promise you, he'll welcome you."

Despite Sam's reassurances, Castiel was very nervous about meeting Pastor Jim. When they got out of the car in Blue Earth on Christmas Eve, Sam made a point of holding Cas’s hand and walking as close as he could without them tripping over each other. When Sam introduced his boyfriend, Jim offered Castiel a hug like he’d given both Winchesters. Christmas dinner with a pastor was nothing like dinner with his family, and Castiel felt the homesickness settle in, but he still had a good time.

Christmas evening, Castiel’s phone rang. Anna. He was torn, for a moment, but decided to answer. He was glad he did when he heard the barely-concealed panic in Anna's voice. “Cas. Thank god. When you weren’t in your dorm, we all got really scared. Your car was there, but you weren’t.”

Castiel's heart sank. He hadn't thought about what it would look like when his family came after him. “I’m all right, Anna. When did you go to the dorm?” How long had they thought he was gone for good?

“Yesterday. We all went. Dad wanted to bring you home for Christmas. When you weren’t there…”

That was both better than it could have been and made Castiel feel worse. It had taken them that long to try to drag him home? Clearly, leaving had been the right choice. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I'm safe, celebrating Christmas, enjoying my time off from school.”

“Where are you?”

Castiel was hesitant to answer. They wouldn't be here long, but they'd have a trail if he got too specific. He didn't even want to tell her he was with Sam, because what she didn't know, she couldn't tell their parents. “Minnesota, with friends. Staying with a Lutheran pastor, actually. Who accepts me and took me in as family because of who I came here with.”

“Can you come home for New Year’s?” Anna's voice was shaking a little as she asked the question. Castiel couldn't quite decide if it was fear or regret at telling him to go.

“Anna, you were the one who said I should leave.”

“Yeah, well, the empty dorm room was kind of a wake-up call to Mom and Dad, I think. Mom’s worried sick that you’re hurt or dead somewhere and won’t call for help because you think they don’t love you anymore." And Castiel was right back to feeling guilty. Maybe he should call his mother, let her know he was all right. "And Dad’s furious – at Luke. Luke’s run off, by the way. Woke up this morning and he was gone along with his dad’s motorcycle. Found a note on his bed in the dorm room – he’s dropped out of school.”

“So what, Dad thinks the photos were forged somehow?” Castiel wondered if that was a good thing. Now that it had happened, he didn't want to go back to pretending to be something he wasn't out of fear of his family's disapproval.

“No, Dad thinks they’re real. He’s just realized that there are far more important things than that, like the fact that you’re his son and he loves you.”

That was a real shock. “I… I’ll think about it, Anna. How’s Rachel?”

“Scared shitless that her only brother is missing. Dad said that if you didn’t answer the phone, he was calling the cops. Here and Palo Alto. And… he has Sam’s picture, and you have to admit, it doesn’t look too good right now.”

Whatever his family thought of him, he could take. Sam getting blamed - again - for Luke's idiocy, he couldn't. “Sam has nothing to do with this. Be sure and tell Dad that. This is all about Luke outing me, me being afraid of my reception, and not really thinking through running off somewhere they couldn’t track me down easily. Sam has _nothing_ to do with it.”

Anna sighed. “I didn’t say he did. I’m just saying… that’s what the cops are going to see. You found a new boyfriend, and a week later you’ve run away from home and are missing. Please, Cas. Come home for New Year’s. Sooner if you can.”

Anna was right, of course. If his dad went to the cops, Sam would be in trouble. That alone had him pretty well determined to at least call, once he'd gathered a bit of courage. “I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can promise you. Do what you can to make Dad believe that I chose to run, no one’s forcing me to do anything, and I’m not Luke. I’ll be back in school when the quarter begins.”


	10. Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel makes the call about going home.

“So I don’t think Anna meant it that way, but the implication was pretty clear. I show up for New Year’s or they start investigating Sam for kidnapping me. Which he didn’t, and I tried to tell Anna, but… if I had been kidnapped, that’s exactly what Sam would make me say, isn’t it?” Castiel finished up as he told the brothers about his call the night before.

Sam pulled Cas in against him. “Probably, yeah. Okay. Your family, your call, what do you want to do? It’ll take us a couple days to get you there, if you want to go. If you don’t want to go, don’t worry, it won’t be the first time the cops have gone after me.”

“I’m gonna disagree with Sam there. Not that the cops have been after him, that much is true, but that it’s okay for him to be on cops’ radar again.” Sam glared at Dean, but Dean wasn’t backing down. “You don’t wanna go back, fine, I’m not gonna drag you. But don’t act like it’s okay for Sam to be in trouble.”

“Because it’s not.” Castiel nodded. “I’m going home. I have until New Year’s, but the sooner I go, the sooner it’s over with and they know I’m all right. I never meant to scare them like this.”

“Okay. Do you want us to come with you, or drop you off at the dorm?” Dean didn’t wait for an answer before he went to go pack his and Sam’s stuff.

That was a very good question, really. The one thing he was absolutely sure of was that if he tried to make the drive from the dorm to his house by himself, the time alone with his fears would have him driving off, this time quite possibly not to come back. By the time Cas had gotten his stuff packed and the Impala was loaded and ready to go, he’d made his decision. “Take me home. You guys don’t have to stay, Anna can take me back to school. If you want to stay, though, I’d like to have you there.”

The brothers came to an agreement without needing to speak a word. Sam twisted around to be able to look Cas in the eyes. “I’m not leaving until I know you’re all right. Your dad can hate me, take a swing at me, yell at me for corrupting his son, whatever he needs to do, but I’m not leaving you there to face them alone.”

Something loosened in Cas’s chest then. That made him feel so much better about going home, that Sam and Dean would be there with him. Except for the part where Sam was going to let himself be hurt if his dad wanted. “But you didn’t do anything except show an interest in me. That’s hardly something you should be hit for.”

“Amen to that,” Dean muttered.

Sam just shrugged it off. “If your dad needs to blame me, though, I’m happy to take it. If that means he welcomes you back the way he should.” Castiel couldn’t help but appreciate Sam’s concern, but there was no way he was letting his father blame Sam for anything.

 

Since they had until New Year’s to make a two-day trip, Sam talked Dean into pulling off in Sioux Falls to talk to someone they’d apparently been fighting with. Bobby Singer was really happy to see the boys, welcoming them with a hug, surprised to hear they’d cut themselves off from their father. He insisted that the boys stay for the night, Cas included.

When they got close to Sun Valley, it was late on the 29th. Cas made the call to go to the house the next morning, instead of showing up after bedtime unexpectedly. He called Anna, though.

“Cas? Please tell me you’re coming home.”

“I’m coming home. I’ll be there tomorrow morning. We’ll be there around nine, unless that’s too early.” It wouldn’t be. They could show up at seven if they really wanted to, and no one would still be sleeping if Cas was expected.

“I’ll make sure everyone knows to expect you. Glad you’re coming home, Cas.” Cas wasn't too sure he was glad to be going, but at least he figured he could count on one ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the next were originally supposed to be together, which is why this one's kind of short, but next chapter got a lot longer than I'd expected it to.


	11. Crowes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas goes home and deals with his parents.

It felt weird, standing on the porch to his own home, not sure whether to ring the doorbell or just go in. Sam reached out and squeezed his hand briefly, while Dean stayed back by the Impala. Sam happened to be looking back when the door opened, and Rachel came out swinging. “Luke, you are a jerk.”

“Rachel.” Cas caught her arm. “This isn’t Luke. I know there’s a strong resemblance, but he’s not Luke.”

“You know, I probably should have expected that.” Sam rubbed his head with a rueful grin. “You’ve got a good swing, Rachel.”

“Thanks. Sorry. Who are you again?”

Castiel sighed. “If you’ll let us in, I’ll introduce him to everyone at once. Ignore the psycho glaring at you, you just hit his little brother, but he’s promised to behave himself.”

Rachel moved out of the way, and Castiel led the Winchesters into the living room. He was not surprised to find it arranged intervention-style, several chairs on one side of the coffee table and one on the other, with the couch pushed back against the wall. It was clear where he was meant to sit, so he took the single chair. The rest of his family sat across from him.

Castiel waved Sam and Dean toward the couch. Sam took a seat, but Dean leaned against the wall, keys in his hand and arms folded across his chest. Very pointedly not making himself comfortable. Cas waited until he knew the smile was under control before he turned back to his family. “Before we start, please allow me to introduce my guests. You may recognize Sam Winchester from the photos Luke sent you, but if you don’t, Sam is my boyfriend. The other man is his brother Dean. They’re here so that if I choose to leave, I have a way out.”

“Hello, Sam, Dean,” Cas’s mom said, recovering more quickly from the shock than anyone else. It didn't surprise Castiel. His mother was rarely off-guard for long. “I’m Naomi Crowe, this is my husband Michael, and our daughters, Anna and Rachel. Gabriel and Hannah Malin are Luke’s brother and sister, and are like family. Raphael couldn’t be here, he’s meeting with the investigator we’ve got looking for Luke.”

“You know you won’t find him unless he wants to be found.” Castiel scooted back a little in his chair, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trench coat. “Shall we begin what we're really here to talk about?”

Michael cleared his throat. “Castiel, what were you thinking, taking off the way you did?”

Well, at least they were beginning with something Castiel was actually planning to apologize for. It would start things out well. “I was thinking that Luke had just outed me, and it didn’t sound like you and Mom were prepared to accept it, so I needed to get away. I didn’t know Luke was going to run away, so I had no reason to think he wouldn't do any more damage than he'd already done. If I stayed at the dorm, you’d find me. So I called Sam, and he and his brother came and got me. I’ve been with them since leaving here. It didn’t occur to me until Anna’s Christmas call what it would look like, my car there and me not, but I chose to leave, because I felt safer with the Winchesters than I would have in the dorm. For that, I'm sorry. I hope you'll understand that I was scared, not cruel, and that I didn't intend to frighten you like that. And forgive me for it.”

“Castiel, you’re my son. Why did you think I wouldn’t accept you?”

Anna snorted while Castiel was still trying to figure out where to start. “Might have something to do with the lectures we all got when we started high school about sexual immorality. Or the way you side-eye anything that seems to promote the ‘homosexual agenda’." Anna even did finger-quotes. "I was still awake, I got to hear the rant you went on about the pictures Luke sent us. So, gosh, I wonder. Why might Castiel not feel safe coming out to you?”

“I didn’t hear the rant, but between the rest of that, the pressure you’ve put on me to become a priest, and the highly religious upbringing, I thought it best to keep it to myself. When that choice was taken from me, I panicked. I ran. I’m not proud of it, but I can’t change it.” Castiel paused for breath. “And before you spout love the sinner, hate the sin at me: all that does is say that your acceptance is conditional on me ignoring a part of myself because you find it unacceptable. You’re not going to stop me from sinning that way, because I don't see how existing as God made me can be a sin.”

There was a long silence while Michael and Naomi processed. Whatever they'd expected Castiel to do, that wasn't it. Castiel was proud of that. Gabriel was the one to break the silence, with a change of subject. “Do you have any idea where Luke might have gone?”

“No. I was as surprised to hear he was gone as you were to find him missing, I’m sure. I have no idea what’s going on in his head anymore. I didn’t tell on him, because I didn’t want to be a tattler on my brother, but he’s become increasingly cruel and odd while at school. Several disciplinary hearings. Leaving school at the end of the semester may not have been his choice. I don’t know.”

“All right.” Michael stood up. “Castiel, you’re probably right. Had you come in that night, I would not have treated you like I expect my son to be treated. And for that, I apologize. I don’t like that you’re gay. I don’t like that Anna dyes her hair, either. I don’t have to like everything about my children to love my children. I hope you’ll stay here. Sam, Dean, if you don’t have other plans, you’re welcome to stay here for New Year’s.”

Castiel and Sam both looked to Dean, who nodded. “If it would make you more comfortable, Sammy and I can get a motel room.”

“Nonsense, you're guests of my son which means you're guests of the family,” Naomi said. “Now. There are rules, but they’re the same for Cas as they would be for Anna if she brought a young man home with her. Is that going to be a problem?”

"No, Mom. Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will forever love Rachel for telling off both Winchesters about not really being his friends. Even if her logic was slightly flawed: "You only call him when you need him for something." "Uh, yeah, he's told us repeatedly that he's in the middle of a freakin' war, we're not gonna call him down to watch Star Wars and help us drink our beer." She was still right that Dean and Sam behaved horribly to Cas that season (Sam gets a little bit more of a pass because most of the worst of it was while he was soulless, but he could have given Cas that hug!)
> 
> So I had to let her take the chance to hit one of them. Sorry, Sam, had to be you.


	12. New Year's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Year's Eve! Some traditions are sacred. And it's a good time for endings.

New Year’s with the Crowe family was always fun. For once, the entire family stayed up till midnight to watch the ball drop, Rachel included. Michael got out a bottle of champagne and several glasses. “How old are you, Dean?”

“Twenty-two.”

“And Sam?”

“Eighteen.”

Michael nodded. “Dean, Castiel and Rachel will be joining us for champagne. Sam’s not my son…”

Dean glanced at where Sam and Cas were sitting and smirked. “Sam can have some. I think he can handle a bit of bubbly alcohol.”

Quietly so Michael wouldn't hear, Sam whispered to Cas, “He would know, he gave me my first beer when I was twelve.”

“Don’t have to hide underage drinking from my parents," Castiel whispered back. "As long as you’re supervised and responsible about it, they don’t care. We got to join the champagne party after Confirmation, when we were fourteen.”

“Oh. What about the tradition of ringing in the New Year with a kiss? Is that going to be a problem?”

Castiel smiled and reached for Sam's hand. “Not if they’re serious about same rules as Anna and you keep it reasonable. Don't go kissing me like you did at that one bar.”

Sam chuckled. “That was just to make that girl back off since she wasn't getting any of your honestly not that subtle hints that I was taken. Your call on the kiss. I want to, though.”

When the countdown started, Raphael took charge of the champagne bottle. At zero, he popped the cork, leaving Michael free to kiss Naomi. Cas decided to go for it, and kissed Sam. They got a few odd looks, but no one said anything.

Not that they had much time, as at 12:01 Castiel’s phone started playing “Sympathy for the Devil”. Cas ran for it. “Luke?”

“Heya, Cas. Happy New Year?”

Cas could have throttled the guy. As far as he knew, Luke had been completely absent since early December. And now he was calling like it was... like it was Tuesday. “Luke, where are you? What…”

Luke's laughter cut Cas off. “Whoa, Cas. You might get those answers, later, depending on how this phone call goes. How you doin’?”

“I’m…" Castiel looked around. He was with his family, accepted even if it wasn't quite as warmly as it could be. He was with his boyfriend, who cared enough about him to abandon whatever plans he'd had to make sure Cas was safe. He had the two of them at the same time, which he'd never have thought possible. "Quite well, actually. No thanks to you.”

“Yeah? Where are you?” Luke challenged.

“I’m at home, with our family. Like you should be.”

Luke's surprise was obvious. “Uncle Mikey tracked you down and did the whole love the sinner thing, huh?”

Castiel couldn't help the eyeroll. “Anna called terrified because I wasn’t in the dorm, so Sam took me home. Sam’s here, staying at the house, and Mom and Dad know he’s my boyfriend and they need to get used to the idea.”

Luke’s voice changed. “Sam’s there? You and Sam?”

“Yeah. They’re not happy about it, but their fear that I was missing or gone or worse kind of reconciled them to the idea.”

“Good. Lucky you.” There was a definite coldness there, now.

Castiel had no idea why, either. Luke had known he was gay, had to know that Sam was his type... “What’s wrong, Luke?”

“You wanted to know why I did this?" Luke shouted, causing Castiel to jump. He toned it down to continue, "I’ve been planning all semester. I had to get away from them, you know I did. I don’t belong there. The family rebel, the black sheep, all that jazz.”

“You could have just… left. You didn’t need to trash yourself and half of Stanford.” Didn't need to prank Castiel. Unless he'd done it out of fear that Cas would hunt him down...

“No, but my way was more fun. And I even set you up! It’s thanks to me that you met Sam at all, and now you’re out and accepted in the family so you don’t have to hide him. I'd say you owe me one, bro.”

Castiel shook his head. He thought Luke owed him. But Luke would never admit that. “That’s not why you did this.”

Luke sighed. “No. I was hoping that when I called, you’d be willing to come with me. Run away together.”

“Luke, you could have screwed up my life. Gotten me hurt or worse. Why would I consider going with you?”

“Because… oh, never mind. I didn’t count on Sam actually sticking with you like he did." Luke cleared his throat, and his voice went hard and cold. "Tell him that if he screws up the best thing he’ll ever have, I’m going to track him down and kill him. And you know I can, and that I mean it.” Luke hung up.

Cas called back, but there was no answer. He tried again and again, no results. Sam came over. “Hey. What’s wrong?”

“Luke. He called. And now he’s not answering. I think he’s gone for real. I thought he'd come back, say it was some big prank, but he's not coming back.”

Sam wrapped his arms around Cas. “I’m sorry.”

“You hated the guy.”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t. Can’t imagine losing Dean, and I know Luke was like a brother to you. Maybe someday…?”

“I don’t think so. He sounded… done.” Castiel looked around at the quickly-breaking-up party. “Much like celebrations. I have to tell Raphael about Luke, but then I’m going to bed. Good night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Naomi's attitude about drinking is my parents'. If either of us had asked, they'd have let my brother or me have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer after mowing the lawn when we were teenagers. We never asked, never really wanted to. We're both in our thirties now, and neither of us drinks much. Just seems a lot healthier than the idea of not a drop until 21 when go nuts and do whatever you want.


	13. On the Road Again

The Winchesters took off on the 2nd, but Cas chose to stay home. His family had nothing but good words for his new friends, although his parents insisted on referring to Sam as his friend instead of his boyfriend. There was no further contact from Luke, though everyone in both families tried calling and texting. Cas even got Sam to try calling Luke. Luke responded to that one with a text threatening to kill Sam if he tried again.

When school started back up, Luke was not back in the dorm. At this point, though, Cas no longer cared. The winter quarter passed quickly, Castiel buried in his studies and Sam. Spring Break came and went, Castiel back on the road with the Winchesters, and spring quarter drew to a close.

On the first day of finals, Castiel woke up to find his closet empty except for the pink rainbow trench coat and Anna’s Tinkerbell dress. “Anna?”

“What?” Anna sounded sleepy. He’d probably woken her up, now that he thought about it. Oh well.

“Has there been any luck on tracking down Luke?”

“No. I think everyone except Raphael and Gabriel has given up, honestly.”

“I have a tip. I think he’s in Palo Alto.”

Anna sounded a lot more awake now. “And you’re calling me instead of Raphael because…?”

“Because it’s your dress hanging in my closet.” Also because Raphael blamed Castiel for Luke being missing to begin with, but Anna knew that.

“Tinkerbell again?" Anna laughed. "Tell Sam to get a picture, I have to see this!”

“Shut up.” Castiel hung up, got dressed, and went to his first final.

 

At lunch, Sam looked curious when Castiel approached. Charlie eyed Castiel warily. “Are you going to hit Sam again?”

Castiel set his tray down. “No. I can’t be sorry I did the first time, although he didn’t deserve it, but I’m not going to hurt Sam.”

Sam winked at him. “Even if I ask nicely?”

“Well… maybe then,” Castiel admitted with a small smile. Charlie rolled her eyes and swatted at him.

 

For the rest of finals week, Castiel found himself dressed in weird outfits. The same weird outfits as before, with one exception. He burned the clown suit and borrowed clothes from Sam. Cas finished first this time, and he and Dean waited in a bar for Sam to finish.

Dean stared at the pool tables with a puzzled frown. “What time did you say Sam’s test started?”

“5:30, I think he said. And it’s essay, so he’s expecting it to take a while. Why?” Castiel followed Dean’s stare, trying to figure out what he was looking at.

“Because it’s just past six, and look." Dean pointed. "That guy at the far table.”

Cas’s view had been blocked by another player, but now, there was no mistaking the long hair. “Either Sam lied to me about a final or that’s Luke. Given that I know Luke's been in town, I'm going with the second one.”

Dean got an evil smirk as he got to his feet. “Don’t let him see you.” He headed over to Luke, watching until he finished his game and challenging him to the next. Cas couldn’t see what was happening in the game, but he heard the yell. Luke was bent over clutching himself, and Dean was laughing.

Cas couldn’t contain his curiosity. He walked over. “What did you do to him?”

“Eight ball, center pocket.” Dean pointed to the ball that had dropped to the floor. “Worth losing the game to see him drop like that.”

“Castiel?” Luke forced the words out through his pain. “Cas, this guy’s crazy. Help me, bro.”

Castiel knelt beside Luke. “Sam went through far more because of you. I think his big brother’s entitled to a bit of revenge.”

“What, you ditched Sam for his big brother?” Luke looked Dean over. "That one's a downgrade, if you ask me."

Cas rolled his eyes. Leave it to Luke to be utterly ridiculous. “No. Dean's a close friend, but even if I had any inclination, Dean would kill me for hurting his brother like that. Sam and I are still together. He’s finishing his last test and then we’re headed off for a bit. Why are you here?”

“Missed you, bro.” Luke pulled himself to his feet. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good. Your dad’s still looking for you, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. Gabriel actually got close a couple months ago, must’ve been his spring break. If he’d had another day, he might’ve actually caught me." Luke shook his head with a grin. "I’m so proud of him.”

“Yeah? Go home, so you can tell him that. You’re his hero. He misses you.”

“If I go home, Dad will trap me there. I can’t. I’ve made a life for myself on the road. Lonely as hell, but better than letting them keep trying to make a round peg that fits into the square hole they made for me. I should probably head out, in fact. Because I’ve seen Dad poking around.” Luke threw his arms around Cas, holding him tight for a minute. When he did let go, it was with great reluctance. “Bye, Cas. Boyfriend’s big brother, you look after this guy, understand?”

Dean didn't respond as Cas watched Luke walk away. Probably should have tried to stop him, but if Luke wanted out… probably best for everyone to let him go. He and Dean went back to their drinks, waiting for Sam.

A hand grabbing his halo got Castiel’s attention away from watching Dean back at work at the pool tables. “Hey, angel. Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?”

Cas rolled his eyes as he turned around into Sam’s embrace. “That is a terrible pickup line, and you don’t even need a line to pick me up.”

“I dunno, I think it’s better than oh my god I’m so sorry I thought you were someone else I didn’t mean to knock you to the ground. And look how well that one worked for you!”

“Dean is a terrible influence on you. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah. Give me a chance to go check in with Dean, make sure he knows we're headed out so he needs to wrap up." Cas and Sam were heading out first, taking Cas's car home. They'd stay long enough to say hello to anyone who was awake, and then Dean would pick them up for summer break. Life on the road, but definitely not lonely as hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! Olympics and writing other stuff that wouldn't get out of my head.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry.
> 
> Comments spark brain juices!


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